Civil rights lawyers and activist groups are evaluating legal sanctions and demanding an investigation by the Department of Justice for what they consider “a serious abuse of power” by the governors of Florida, Texas, and Arizona, involving human rights violations, providing false information, trafficking of migrants and use of public funds to generate a political crisis
50 migrants, almost all Venezuelans, who finally arrived on the island of Martha’s Vineyard under deception They were transferred to the Cape Cod military base in Massachusetts. three days after what has become a small political battle generated between the Joe Biden administration and the governors of border states (Florida, Texas and Arizona) due to the decision to transfer migrants arriving to “sanctuary cities” to these territories but that the local authorities do not want to receive.
Immigration lawyers Rachel Self and Mirian Albert, who are supporting the 48 Venezuelan migrants, who were sent under deceit in private planes last Wednesday the 14th, from Florida and Texas to the island of Martha’s Vineyard, in the state of Massachusetts, described as “a sadistic lie” that was repeated “over and over again”, through promises of a house, work and regularization of documents, by which the group of migrants, including children, arrived on the island without knowing where they were and without any local authority being notified of their arrival, which generated a slight crisis due to in urgent need of shelter and food, in an area known to be a high-profile summer vacation spot.
The Fox News network in its digital version confirmed through the director of communications for the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, that “the two planes with illegal immigrants that arrived today (Wednesday 14) at Martha’s Vineyard were part of the state’s relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations” and detailed that one of the planes was transporting approximately 48 people from Venezuela and some from Colombia.
However, the last two flights that arrived with the migrants originated in San Antonio, not in Florida, Geoffrey Freeman, director of the airport on Martha’s Vineyard, confirmed to local media.
* Read also: Governor of Texas sent two buses with migrants to the house of Kamala Harris
“States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these people they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as ‘sanctuary states’ and support for the open border policies of the Biden Administration.” », added the spokeswoman for the governor of Florida.
With this decision, DeSantis joins Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, and Doug Ducey, governor of Arizona, in generating a transfer policy to what they have called “sanctuary cities”, led by Washington DC, New York and Chicago. During its last session, the Florida Legislature approved $12 million to launch a program to remove migrants who arrive in that state.
The lawyers are exploring legal measures, including a civil lawsuit against the officials involved in providing false documents and information to migrants, in which the focus is to demand an investigation into the use of public funds and federal resources to generate a political crisis. .
During the press conference offered on the afternoon of Friday the 16th at the Episcopal Church on the island, the defenders said they would seek an injunction in federal court early next week to stop migrant flights to US cities. They allege “that Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida had violated due process and the civil rights of migrants.”
Rachel Self, a Boston immigration attorney tells you everything you need to know about immigrants sent to Martha’s Vineyard.
They’d been given falsified US addresses by immigration officials, perhaps ensuring that they’d be deemed in the country illegally. pic.twitter.com/mBp7AqBow1
— ??Skyleigh Heinen?? (@Sky_Lee_1) September 16, 2022
‘A political farce’
The White House press secretaryKarine Jean-Pierre, told the US media that the Biden administration is working on the relocation of migrants, including the 50 people who arrived on the island of Martha’s Vineyrad during the week and that in parallel “they are managing the consequences” of what he described as “the recent political farce” generated by the decision of the governor of Florida.
.@PressSec on migrant relocations: “We are working to manage the consequences of this latest political charade that we’re seeing. FEMA regional administrators have been meeting with city officials on-site to coordinate available federal support.” pic.twitter.com/ysNHRKXIuO
— The Hill (@thehill) September 17, 2022
Various US media reported that the migrants were relocated to the Cape Cod military base, according to Massachusetts Governor Charles Baker, who is also activating up to 125 National Guard members to help with the relief effort. On Friday afternoon, they boarded three buses provided by the state and local government to their final destination at Joint Base Cape Cod, and the Lawyers for Civil Rights Group are on the last bus with the migrants to verify shelter conditions. .
Civil rights activist groups called on Biden administration officials to be more assertive in addressing this situation. Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, one of the nation’s oldest Hispanic membership organizations, said Friday at a news conference on Martha’s Vineyard that governors’ flights to majority-Democratic cities and towns were a “gross abuse of power” and called on the Justice Department to investigate the incident for possible human trafficking or civil rights violations. The Justice Department declined to comment.
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